Raleigh, North Carolina – Phil Mintz, the executive director of NC State University Industry Expansion Solutions (IES), received a Distinguished Alumni Award at a breakfast program held at the Stateview Hotel on Friday, November 4th. Mintz was one of four alumni from the department to receive the award.
Mintz received the award from Dr. Julie Swann, the A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor and head of the NC State University Industrial Systems Engineering (ISE) Department. In introducing Mintz, Dr. Swann told the audience how he had taken over at IES during a difficult time as well as how Mintz was able to make effective changes that stabilized the organization. She spoke about how Mintz hosting a radio show during his undergraduate years at NC State, serves him well now as he hosts the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP) podcast, “Clocking In: Voices of North Carolina Manufacturing”.
Each award recipient had 3-5 minutes to share what their time at NC State and the ISE department had taught them. Mintz’s remarks focused on how he decided to major in Engineering Operations (EO) after he realized he didn’t like chemistry enough to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering. He made the audience laugh when he told them his friends and colleagues referred to his major as “Easy Out.”
The Alumni Awards are made via nomination, and the criteria for the Distinguished Alumni award requires The nominee must have graduated from the department with at least one of its designated degrees, which include:
- Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering (BSIE)
- Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, Furniture Manufacturing (BSIE, FM)
- Bachelor of Science in Furniture Manufacturing and Management (BSFMM)
- Master of Industrial Engineering (MIE)
- Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (MSIE)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Candidates with affiliated degrees are also included:
- Engineering Operations
- Operations Research advised by department faculty designated as OR-ISE
- IMSEI-ISE
- The nominee must:
- Have been graduated for 20 years or before in the award year
- not be a current employee in the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State University
- have a continuous record of exceptional integrity and sound character
- have noteworthy community and/or public service as well as commendable service to the industrial engineering profession, including service to their Alma Mater
The Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) mission at NC State University is to provide a premier educational experience for its students and a world-class environment for its faculty. Offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees, the university conferred 148 degrees on 533 students in the academic year 2021-2022.
Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) is the extension and outreach team of the College of Engineering with a primary mission to support manufacturing in North Carolina. IES supports all North Carolina businesses by providing connections and networking with industry experts and helping to identify the resources, tools and customized programs needed to increase an organization’s productivity, efficiency, quality and profit.
